CHAPTER TOOLS

Keywords:

Listeria monocytogenes;

Salmonella enterica;

Shigella flexneri;

BCG;

tumor immunotherapy;

tumor vasculature;

vaccines;

antigen processing;

cell-mediated immunity;

innate immunity

Summary

This chapter covers the use of facultative intracellular bacteria as vectors for tumor antigens and as tumor destroying agents. Here we review the use of Shigella flexneri, BCG, Salmonella enterica, and Listeria monocytogenes as cancer immunotherapeutics. We describe their development as vectors to carry protein tumor antigen and eukaryotic DNA plasmids to antigen-presenting cells and efforts to harness their tumor-homing properties. We also describe their use as vectors of angiogenic molecules to induce an immune response that will destroy tumor vasculature. The background knowledge necessary to understand the biology behind the development of bacteria as vaccine vectors is included, as well as a summary of the major therapies that have used this approach thus far.